There have a lot of actors to play Batman and Joker opposite one another over the years, and among the greatest, if not ranked at the top of the list, is Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill, with the two chiefly voicing their respective characters in Batman: The Animated Series and the rest of the DC Animated Universe. Unfortunately, when Conroy passed away in November 2022, Hamill said a few months later that he would probably never voice Joker again since “Without Kevin there, there doesn't seem to be a Batman” for him. However, now it’s been reported that we’ll get to hear these versions of the Caped Crusader and Clown Prince of Crime one last time thanks to an upcoming DC movie.
Word’s come in from IGN that Conroy and Hamill respectively reprise Batman and Joker in Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Three, which follows the January 9 release of Part One and the forthcoming April 23 release of Part Two on the 2024 movies schedule. Additionally, the outlet unveiled all the other new cast members who will be heard in this entry on the Tomorrowverse timeline as follows:
- Corey Stoll - Lex Luthor
- Brian Bloom - Adam Strange & Sidewinter
- Elysia Rotaru - Black Canary
- Armen Taylor - Jay Garrick
- Cynthia Kaye McWilliams - Dr. Beth Chapel/Cheetah
- Dean Winters - Captain Storm
- Jason Spisak - Blue Lantern Razer, Hayseed
- Brett Halton - Batlash & Captain Atom
- Ashly Burch - Nightshade, Queen Mera
- Katee Sackhoff - Poison Ivy
This news follows nearly a month after the wide release of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, which features Kevin Conroy as Batman. Shortly beforehand though, it was reported that the Arkhamverse-set video game wouldn’t be the actor’s final outing in a Batman-related project had previously been assumed. Instead, Conroy’s last round of posthumous vocal performances would be in Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Three and Batman: Caped Crusader, the latter of which being an animated TV show that’s premiering to Amazon Prime Video subscribers at a yet-to-be-revealed date. Then Bruce Timm, one of Caped Crusader’s executive producers who worked with Conroy in the DCAU, debunked the late actor’s involvement in the upcoming TV show, but evidently Crisis Part Three is on the table, though this hasn’t been officially confirmed.
Assuming Kevin Conroy’s Batman and Mark Hamill’s Joker are in Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Three, this will be the first time these two performed these same characters together in a DC film/TV project since Justice League Action, which ran from 2016 to 2018. Following Justice League Unlimited wrapping up the TV side of the DCAU in 2006, among the other projects these two would play different versions of Batman and Joker in included the Batman: Arkham video games (aside from Origins), as well as the 2016 animated film adaptation of Batman: The Killing Joke. Conroy and Hamill were also paired together in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode “Chill of the Night,” where they respectively voiced The Phantom Stranger and The Spectre.
As producer Butch Lukic previously revealed to CinemaBlend, Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Three is ending DC’s Tomorrowverse, which had been the plan since the beginning. Like its source materials, these movies see heroes and villains from various universes coming together, so throwing a Kevin Conroy-voiced Batman and Mark Hamill-voiced Joker into the mix is par for the course. What’s unclear, though, is if these two are reprising the DCAU versions of these characters or playing different incarnations. Either way, they’re the second and third actors who are reprising their DCAU-originated roles in this trilogy, as Will Friedle is voicing Terry McGinnis, a.k.a. Batman Beyond, in Part Two.
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Three doesn’t have a release date yet, but once the movie comes out, we’ll be sure to pass along whether Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill did indeed reprise Batman and Joker. Until then, you can revisit many of the past animated DC movies in order by subscribing to Max.
